1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic circuit and more particularly to a battery charge indicator which indicates, during use, a quantity of charge upon a battery.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
There are many techniques commonly used for indicating existing charge within a battery. A popular charge indicating technique includes the use of resistive strips which can be coupled across the battery. The resistive strips emit light indicative of one of two possible charge conditions. The strips can be applied by the operator to opposing terminals of the battery in order to indicate either an adequately charged or an inadequately charged battery. If adequately charged, the resistive strips emit a visible light dissimilar from the light emitted if the battery is inadequately charged. The resistive strips are fairly inexpensive and are generally packaged with the battery and are shipped by the manufacturer to the end user. The end user can then test the battery prior to inserting it into a battery-powered device.
While pre-packaged battery indicators provide the user relative indication of battery charge, pre-packaged indicators are of no use after the battery is inserted into the battery-powered device. In other words, the resistive strips cannot be used to check the battery charge in situ (i.e., during times in which the battery is seated within the electronic device). Generally, batteries lose their charge over time or after prolonged periods of use. To determine the existing charge using resistive strips, the battery must be removed from the electronic device and placed across the strips. Removal of the battery each time for testing can be burdensome and inconvenient.
Inconvenience associated with removal of a seated battery is compounded by the fact that resistive strips can only test one battery at a time. If numerous batteries are necessary to power an electronic device, each battery must be removed and placed between the resistive strips.